incite PC Gaming

incite PC Gaming is a monthly magazine devoted entirely to coverage of PC games. Like incite Video Gaming (and, to a lesser extent, PC Accelerator), it featured a great deal of non-traditional coverage, including celebrity interviews and humor features that had little to do with games.

History

It was half of the massive media blitz that surrounded the launch of Computec Media’s incite brand. Like its sister magazine, its editorial staff was largely headhunted from other game magazines and sites, including editor-in-chief Tasos Kalafas (Computer Game Review) and editors Steve Klett (PC Games), Dave Rees (Gamers’ Republic) and Wil O’Neal (CNET’s Gamecenter.com).

Each issue came with a CD-ROM that included the usual assortment of game demos and videos. incite was one of the first US PC magazines to offer full commercial games on the cover disc, although they were only playable for a few hours before requiring an online purchase.

Many issues featured a celebrity on the cover, from Tiger Woods and Trent Reznor to auto racer Juan Montoya. Unlike Video Gaming, which had less of a problem finding celebrities with a game tie-in to feature on the cover, PC Gaming’s staff often struggled to find relevant stars, opting to put a lesser-known model on the cover instead on more than one occasion. The joke at the time was that they would have to put Reznor on every cover, since he was the only celebrity with a well-known interest in PC games at the time.

The magazine ended publication unannounced in the August 2000 issue, following the abrupt closing of Computec Media USA in late June. Most of the staff remained in the game industry, with several later showing up in Computer Gaming World’s editorial team.